Happy Valentine’s Day, dear readers! This year, Feb. 14 also shares holidays with Ash Wednesday and National Ferris Wheel Day (in honor of George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. – the man who invented the Ferris Wheel).
Perhaps one of the best ways to show love to someone in your life is to give them the gift of learning. Registrations are currently open for the spring semester of the Lifelong Learning Institute at Ohio Wesleyan University. The program, which runs March 4 through April 12, admits individuals ages 55 and older to experience 10 courses, with topics ranging from crime in film, preserving memories, culinary medicine, and even UFOs.
Registration costs $75 per individual, but, thanks to the generous support of SourcePoint, a limited number of $50 scholarships are available for the term. Find the application online at www.owu.edu/LLI or ask a Delaware County District Library staff member the next time you’re at one of our locations. Interested community members may call 740-368-3078 with additional questions. Scholarship applications must be received by Monday, Feb. 19, to be considered.
Once registered, individuals 55 and older can sign up for as many courses as they wish during the spring season. Classes are taught by volunteers, including current and retired Ohio Wesleyan professors, practitioners and other experts.
You can view the full list of courses, along with their meeting dates and times, at www.owu.edu/LLI. One course that library lovers may enjoy is titled “Banned and Challenged Books: Classic American Novels through the Decades.” The course will be taught on Thursday mornings at 10 a.m. by Stephanie Tingley, emeritus professor of English at Youngstown State University. The class will take a tour through the decades (from the 1880s through the early 2000s) of some of the most controversial classic novels in American literature, from Mark Twain and Ray Bradbury to Margaret Atwood and Alison Bechdel.
Library patrons who enjoy the behind-the-scenes stories of classic films will also appreciate “Crime, Corruption, and Cover-Ups,” a journey through film of the stories of good cops versus bad cops, along with the examination of real-life heroes and villains that go along with film classics like “The Godfather,” “Good Fellas” and more. Strand Theatre Managing Director Tracey Peyton and projectionist Jamie Cretella will present this series on Mondays at 9 a.m.
Launched in 2019, the Lifelong Learning Institute at Ohio Wesleyan University encourages individuals to “discover ideas, acquire knowledge, and fuel your curiosity” with fall and spring sessions each year. For questions, contact the Lifelong Learning Institute at [email protected] or (740) 368-3078.
This week, let’s explore some of the books that made their way to the big screen in January. Unless otherwise noted, these films made it into a movie theatre near you.
• “Leave the World Behind” by Rumaan Alam. Co-executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, this film adaptation of Rumaan Alam’s apocalyptic suspense novel features a star-studded cast including Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, and Kevin Bacon. Where to watch: Leave the World Behind is streaming on Netflix.
• “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics” by Daniel James Brown. George Clooney helms the film adaptation of Daniel James Brown’s bestselling history chronicling the University of Washington rowing team’s battle for glory at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
• “Erasure” by Percival Everett. Jeffrey Wright stars in American Fiction, the film adaptation of Percival Everett’s “Erasure,” a satirical novel about a Black author navigating the racist limitations of the publishing industry.
• “Poor Things” by Alasdair Gray. Emma Stone stars in Yorgos Lanthimos’ adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s darkly humorous homage to Frankenstein.
• “My Life with the Walter Boys” by Ali Novak. Newcomer Nikki Rodriguez stars in the series adaptation of Ali Novak’s character-driven young adult romance that was originally published on Wattpad. Where to watch: Season 1 is streaming on Netflix.
• “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan. The long-awaited TV adaptation of Rick Riordan’s beloved fantasy series was co-created by Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg (“Black Sails”). Where to watch: Season 1 is streaming on Disney+.
• “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker. The new film adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Color Purple” was adapted from the 2005 Tony Award-winning musical of the same name and stars Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, and Danielle Brooks.
• “Enzo Ferrari: The Man and the Machine” by Brock Yates. Adam Driver stars as Enzo Ferrari in Michael Mann’s adaptation of Brock Yates’ richly detailed biography of the automobile manufacturer and entrepreneur.
If you have a question that you would like to see answered in this column, mail it to Nicole Fowles, Delaware County District Library, 84 E. Winter St., Delaware, OH 43015, or call us at 740-362-3861. You can also email your questions by visiting the library’s web site at www.delawarelibrary.org or directly to Nicole at [email protected]. No matter how you contact us, we’re always glad you asked!
